


Second Chances

by caveyoja



Category: Ant-Man (Comics), Runaways (Comics), West Coast Avengers, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 05:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18204089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caveyoja/pseuds/caveyoja
Summary: Chase Stein runs across Cassie Lang while she's visiting Kate and the West Coast Avengers and he starts to move on from his past.Note for Gert/Chase fans:  this is based on the comics, and in the comics Gert is getting romantically involved with Victor.  Given the Victorious foreshadowing, I suspect it will end badly, and fear that there will be a triangle before we get there.But - I would be ok with the comic book version of Gert moving on if Chase got to move on too rather than just pining after Gert.  So -this is my version of how Chase moves on after Gert.So, you've been warned - they don't end up together, but they do end up happy.





	Second Chances

Chase backed out of the space behind the refrigerator before pushing it back into place and then paused to stretch before packing up his tools. Maintenance work sure as hell beat working the counters – and it paid better – but more often than not he had to squeeze into spots not built for someone his height. 

The manager poked his head back into the kitchen, “Hey – yo – Stein - it fixed yet?”

Chase nodded wearily and flipped the switch at the top of the unit – it lit up and the compressor hummed on. “You're good to go, man.”

“What do I owe ya?”

“Office'll bill you. Need me for anything else?”

“Nah – we're good for now. Have a good weekend.”

“You too.” Chase pulled a rag out of his pocket and started wiping his hands down as he walked around the counter into the food court.

“Ola! Chase!” 

He turned to see Carlotta calling to him – they'd worked together for a while before he got this gig. She was pretty amazing – 19, a single mom, working and college. He smiled and waved as he walked over to her. “Hey, Carlotta. How you doing?”

She shrugged and nodded over to the ice machine in her stand. “I'd be better if that piece of shit was working.”

“It's broken again?”

“It's always broken. You were the only one who ever kept it going.”

Chase stuffed the rag back in his pocket, hopped over the counter and ran his hand along the side of the machine. One side was way too cold, and the other way too warm – which meant the coil was out of alignment again. He hit the machine at where the base of the coil should be, heard it drop into place, and then a batch of ice fall into the bin. 

He turned back to Carlotta with a raised eyebrow and she smirked at him, handing him a soda, “My hero.”

Chase took the soda with a chuckle, and hopped back over the counter, “Have a good weekend, Lottie!”

“You too, Chase!”

He hadn't been watching where he was going, and when he turned away from Carlotta he stopped short before he nearly ran over a small woman. “Oh – hey – sorry!”

The woman – or maybe girl? - hard to tell her age, but she did look familiar – looked up at him, “No problem- “ she paused, and then smiled. “Chase?” 

“Sorry – do I know you? You kind of look familiar, but - “

“Probably because I'm not twenty feet tall and wearing a mask.”

Chase blinked and it came back to him, “Stature?”

The woman laughed, “Well – Cassie. Haven't been Stature for a while.”

“Yeah – sorry - heard you guys broke up. What're you doing in LA?”

Cassie shrugged, “Well – Kate's out here, so I was visiting her and looking at colleges, but I finished looking at colleges and she's off doing superhero stuff...so, I'm just wandering the mall killing time.”

Chase grimaced, “Killing time at the mall?” Cassie shrugged, and Chase shook his head, “That is such an East Coast thing to do.”

Cassie chuckled, “Well....yeah....I am from the East Coast.”

Chase smiled at her. Normally he'd be heading home now. But, at the moment he really didn't want to. Molly was at soccer camp, and Nico and Karolina had a date tonight, which left him with Gert and Victor. So, basically, him in his room working on something with Lace keeping him company, because as much as he said he was ok with “Gert and Victor”, he still didn't want to be alone in the same room with the two of them. 

But – this? This was a much better alternative. He smiled and looked down at Cassie, “I've kinda got some time to kill too. You up for a mini-tour of LA?”

A smile formed on Cassie's face as she nodded, “You know? That sounds like fun.”

Chase motioned toward the escalator, “This way, ma'am.”

 

Cassie watched the sunset as the red spread across the sky and colored the ocean, and breathed in deeply, tasting the salt on the air. 

“Better than the mall?” Chase asked.

“So much better,” she agreed, glancing over to look at Chase who was leaning back in the sand next to her. “Thank you for showing me around.”

“I had a good time too.”

“The tar pits were pretty amazing. I can't believe you guys used to have a base under them.”

Chase nodded solemnly, “Amazing what kind of lairs bad guys just leave lying around.”

“We used to have an old warehouse that Kate's Dad used to own.”

“That doesn't sound too bad.”

“Did I ever tell you I was planning on coming out here and trying to join you guys before I met the Young Avengers?”

Chase leaned forward, “Seriously?”

Cassie nodded, smiling broadly, “I hated my step-dad, and I was planning on running away - “

“And you heard about us.”

“And I heard about how you had taken down your super-villain parents, so I figured, why not try to find you?”

“Why didn't you?”

Cassie shrugged, “I met Kate, and we tracked down the boys. And the guys were sort of pathetic. They wouldn't have made it a week if Kate hadn't been there.”

“Yeah – that's what Nico does for us. Probably good you didn't find us, though. We kind of fell apart too.”

“But you're back together now.”

Chase huffed out a laugh, “For what that's worth.” The wind blew over the dunes and Chase saw Cassie shiver. He stood up, brushing the sand off of himself and nodded toward the van. “It's getting kind of cold. You want to get something to eat?”

Grabbing the hand that Chase held out out to help her up Cassie nodded, “That sounds great. What're we getting?”

“No visit to LA would be complete without a trip to In-N-Out.”

Cassie squeezed Chase's hand, “Lead on!”

 

“Try not to die? That was your battle cry?” Cassie laughed, flicking a french fry at Chase.

“Hey – what's wrong with that?” Chase tried unsuccessfully to put on a serious face. “It's an insanely valuable guideline for those of us who might forget that kind of detail. Not something boring and alliterative like “Avengers Assemble!””.

Cassie looked at him in mock horror, “Boring! It's a classic! You have not lived until you've heard Captain America shouting Avengers Assemble! while you're running into battle!”

Chase pointed at Cassie with a french fry, “Yeah, well Captain America tried to put me in foster care, so I steer clear of him whenever possible.”

“He's a cool guy. Most of the time.”

Chase shrugged, not wanting to argue the point. He'd sort of come around to not hating the Avengers after they helped him get Lace back and after Hank Pym was the only one who took Molly seriously when he and Nico had been kidnapped. Plus, the Young Avengers were pretty cool. And, despite sharing the city, they hadn't come across the West Coast branch yet but if Kate was in charge they couldn't be too bad, could they?

He leaned back with a groan and pushed his tray away. Cassie raised an eyebrow and smiled, 'You not gonna eat that?”

Chase pushed the tray over to her, “All yours,” and watched as she tore into the fries he couldn't finish. “Nothing against it, but you put away a lof of food for someone so small. I don't think I've ever seen anyone but Molly eat that much at one sitting.”

Cassie laughed, “The Pym particles did something to my metabolism – I guess changing size burns a lot of calories.”

“Do you still do that superhero thing?”

Cassie smiled sadly, “Not so much any more. I teamed up with my Dad for a while – took the name Stinger, and got some cool wings and blasters – but working with him had its own problems. He ended up getting really overprotective, and I love him, but he was driving me insane. So, I started backing off of the superhero thing, and figured I’d at least try try be a civilian while I was in college. I mean, I still usually wear the costume under my clothes, but that's mostly just in case, not because I'm looking for a fight.”

“I guess it must be kind of awkward without it – I mean, your regular clothes don't change size with you, right?”

“They most certainly do not,” Cassie agreed emphatically. “The only thing worse than being naked in public is being twenty feet tall and naked in public.”

Chase suppressed a laugh, “I can imagine the nightmares.”

“How about you? You still got the fistigons? And Old Lace?”

“Got em. Don't really look for a fight either. We've kind of settled down these days – jobs and all that. Nico even cast a spell so that me and her could legally adopt Molly.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow, “So – are you and Nico together? I mean, that was the excuse Arcade used when he kidnapped you.”

“Nah – Nico's with Karolina -”

“Seriously?”

“It’s kind of been a long time coming, you know?”

Cassie huffed out a laugh, “I suppose. It does sort of explain why Julie was depressed the last time I saw her, though.”

Chase shook his head, “Karo and Julie split up before she got together with Nico. But, yeah, breakups are kind of depressing.” Cassie nodded, and Chase raised an eyebrow, “What about you and Vision?”

Cassie's eyes widened, “You don't know?”

“Know what?”

“I guess not. Iron Lad – I don't think you met him – he left before we met you guys – but he came back, and killed Jonas – that was the name that Vision gave himself. That was after I died.”

Chase blinked at her in surprise, “After you died?”

Cassie ran a hand through her hair and leaned back, “Yeah. Dr. Doom goes all omnipotent, and I got in the way. The next thing I remember after that is Doom is omnipotent again, only this time he says he's a good guy and he feels guilty about killing me, so he brings me back. Took me a while playing catch up before I felt like I fit in with the world again.” She saw a look flash over Chase's face, and she crossed her arms defensively – sometimes telling people that she came back from the dead weirded them out, but she didn't think Chase would've been like that. “I'm sorry – I shouldn't have told you that. It weirds some people out,” she said as she started to get up to leave.

Chase quickly leaned forward and put a hand on her arm to stop her, “No! That's not it! I mean, it's just that...I brought Gert back from the dead, and she's been having the same problem. Or, at least I think that's the problem she's been having.”

Cassie sat down with a thud, “Brought her back from the dead?”

Chase grimaced, “Sort of? I figured out how to use her parent's time machine – well, mostly – but I got there a little bit too late. I wasn't able to save her then – and, you know, change history – but I was able to bring her forward to now, and Nico was able to cast a couple of spells to save her.”

“But she's having trouble adjusting?”

“She’s still 15 – well, 16 now - and we all got a couple of years older. I mean, her and me couldn't be together any more. 15 and 17 was pushing it, but 16 and 20 just isn't going to work.”

“I'm sorry.”

Chase shrugged, “Hey, we probably would've broken up by now anyway. At least she's alive.” He forced a smile, “And moving on with her life.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow, “She's seeing someone else?”

“Yep.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Remember Victor?”

Cassie’s eyes widened – she definitely remembered Victor and his “you’re my guardian angel” line that was cheesy even when her used it on her when she was 15. Cassie waved her hands, “Wait a minute – if you’re too old for her, why isn't he?”

Chase sighed, “He was offline for a while, so that hit a pause button for him. He stayed the same, just like her.”

“That's gotta be rough for you.”

Chase shrugged, “I try to stay out of their way. I'll be fine.”

“Not entirely convincing, buddy.”

Chase chuckled, “It sounds more convincing after a couple of shots of whiskey. Either that, or I just don't care that it's not convincing at that point.”

Cassie huffed out a laugh and then paused as she felt her cell phone buzzing and realized she'd turned the sound off at the La Brea Museum and had never turned it back on. She pulled the phone from her pocket and her eyes widened as she saw four missed texts and two missed calls from Kate – and that it was 9:30 – which was hours after she said she'd be back.

“Miss a call?” Chase asked.

“Sort of,” Cassie winced, scrolling through the increasingly worried texts. “I didn't realize how late it was, and Kate's worried. Sorry, but I have to head back,” she apologized, scrolling through her apps as she looked for Lyft.

“Let me give you a ride back – I mean, unless the West Coast Avengers have some sort of super-secret base or something.”

Cassie laughed, “Actually, they're in the phone book.”

Chase rolled his eyes, “Why the hell weren't the Avengers in the phone book when we wanted to sic them on our parents?”

Cassie shrugged, “Well, they didn't have two Hawkeyes in charge back then. Security's a bit looser now.”

“I guess that's one way to put it. Let's get you back to Mama Hawkeye.”

“Oh – wait!” Cassie said, packing up the last of her fries, “Need these for the road.”

“You would get along so well with Molly. We should set up a hot dog eating competition for the two of you.”

“I hate hot dogs.”

“How about marshmallows?”

“I can do marshmallows.”

“I'll check Mols' schedule. But, first we gotta get you home before you get grounded.”

 

Cassie had called and apologized while they were on the way back, and both Hawkeyes were standing on the sidewalk impatiently waiting when they pulled up. “I'm so sorry! We lost track of time!” Cassie apologized as she jogged up to meet them, hugging Kate when she got there.

Clint narrowed his eyes and examined Chase as he got out of the van, “Do I know you?”

“Probably not,” Chase answered with a shrug.

Kate looked over and her eyes widened, “Chase?”

As Chase nodded, Cassie explained, “I ran into him at the mall and he showed me around LA for a couple of hours – sorry, we lost track of the time.”

“So, you know him?” Clint asked for clarification.

“Runaways. Their parents were the supervillains who used to run LA until their kids turned against them. We met them when we came out to try to recruit them for Cap's side during the Registration Act. Chase builds tech and has a telepathic connection to a dinosaur.” Kate tilted her head in thought, “I think you were dead when they were fighting their parents?”

Chase looked over to Cassie, “Is coming back from the dead a standard thing with the Avengers?”

Clint shrugged, “More or less, yeah.” Clint put a hand on Cassie's arm, “You're ok?”

“I'm fine.”

“Right. I'm going to ice down today's new bruises and get some sleep.” He waved over to Chase, “Nice meeting you, kid.”

Chase waved a half-salute at Clint as the older man headed inside, and Kate looked between Chase and Cassie with a smirk. “So...if you're ok, I'll just head back inside too. OK?” The two of them looked at her curiously. She answered her own question with an “OK, then,” and an awkward wave, whispering in Cassie's ear as she headed back inside, “I want details!” 

Cassie and Chase watched as Kate jogged back inside and looked up when they heard a rustling, catching a glimpse of the blinds of the window one floor above them quickly closing as the rest of the Avengers tried to pretend they weren't watching. “They really are bad at subtle,” Chase observed.

“They're better at blowing things up.”

“Yeah, me too,” Chase agreed.

“Hey – what are you doing tomorrow?”

Chase shrugged, “No plans.”

“Want to hang out? I mean, I had fun today, and it'd be a shame if I acted like an East Coaster and just spent the rest of my time here at the mall.”

Chase suppressed a smile, “That would be a shame. You sure the Hawkeyes can spare you?”

“YES WE CAN!” Kate yelled down from the second story.

Cassie rolled her eyes while Chase laughed. “So – 9 am ok?” he asked.

“Sounds good. Anything in particular I should plan for?”

“Not sure yet – but, definitely at least part of the day at the beach.”

“I'll bring a swimsuit. See you tomorrow!” She waved and headed back to the house. 

Chase turned and headed back to the van, but stopped short as he was confronted by a tall Latina woman – probably another Avenger - who wore a stars and stripes jacket and a menacing scowl. “I don't know who you are, kid, but Cassie is a very sweet, very trusting girl, and it'd be real easy for an opportunistic asshole to take advantage of her. So you get one warning - hurt her and I hurt you. Comprende?”

Chase nodded warily, “Understood, but not a problem. We're just friends.”

The woman rolled her eyes and stomped back into the house, “Yeah, right.”

 

 

Nico shrieked as the cold water hit her in the shower. Chase had been patching their hot water heater every other week, and it must be time for him to work his magic again. She put her hair up in a towel, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and stalked over to Chase's room. Just as she was about to bang on the door, she stopped as she saw a note, and pulled it off the door, reading, “Out with a friend. Took Lace. Call if you need me. Chase.”

She stared at the note for a few minutes. What the fuck was this? Chase didn't do friends. None of them did, really. Friends always ended badly for them. She wandered into the kitchen with the note still in her hand, finding Gert eating a bowl of cereal with Victor sitting next to her. Gert and Victor saw the confused look on Nico’s face, turned to each other, shrugged, and then Gert asked, “What’s wrong?”

Nico continued to stare at the note as she responded distractedly, “Chase isn’t here.”

“Is he working today?” Victor asked.

Nico shook her head, “Note says he’s out with a friend and he took Lace with him.”

Gert and Victor looked at each other skeptically. “That sounds...unusual,” Gert observed.

Karolina breezed into the room, stopping to kiss Nico on the cheek before making herself a bowl of cereal. “Is this the last of the almond milk?” 

“There’s more in the pantry,” Nico answered distractedly, chewing on her lip as she continued to stare at the note.

Karolina noticed Nico’s mood, and put the bowl down, moving to stand next to her. “What’s wrong, baby?” Nico handed the note to Karolina who quickly read it and shrugged. “When did Chase get a girlfriend?”

“I don’t think he has one,” Nico muttered.

“I don’t understand – Chase has a girlfriend?” Gert asked, confused. “Did he tell anyone about her? Why wouldn’t he say anything? And – what’s wrong with him leaving a note?”

Nico shook her head, “I dunno...It just….it feels a lot like when Arcade kidnapped me and Chase and told everyone that we ran off together. It’s a little too...I don’t know...not him?”

“Look...I hate to say this, but maybe he just needed to get away? It’s really not very easy for him to be here seeing Gert and Victor together,” Karolina ventured.

“No – he’s ok with it,” Gert defended. “He said he was.”

Karolina shook her head, “Yeah – that’s what he says – but if it’s just the three of you in the hostel – does he hang out with you two, or does he lock himself in his room and work on something?” Gert opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it as she considered what Karolina said. “I’m sure he’ll be ok with you two eventually, though. Right now he just needs some time.” Gert grimaced and nodded quietly, with Victor placing a hand over hers to comfort her.

Nico shook her head, “Maybe that is it, but I’d rather check it out than leave it to chance.”

“Have you tried calling him?” Victor asked.

“Good point,” Karolina agreed, pulling her phone out of her pocket and hitting the icon to speed dial him. A second later they heard “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” echoing from the living room. Nico rushed over, found the phone under a cushion and hit the hang up button. 

The four of them looked at each other and Gert asked, “What are the chances he forgot it?”

Nico shook her head, “He didn’t forget his phone. Give me two minutes to get dressed, and then we’re finding him.” 

 

 

Cassie stretched out on the sand, soaking up the sun, with Chase to her left and Old Lace on her right. She’d been a little wary of the dinosaur at first, but once Chase had introduced them it didn’t take long before Lace was acting like an immensely overgrown Labrador Retriever. They’d tossed a frisbee around for a while, until Lace got a little too aggressive and tore it to shreds, and then the three of them just sprawled out relaxing. Fortunately, the beach was deserted so that Lace went unnoticed. The benefits of being a native and knowing the good spots, Cassie supposed.

“So – how much shit did Mama Hawkeye give you last night?” Chase asked glancing at her over the top of his sunglasses.

Cassie chuckled, “Oh, please – she is the last one to talk to me about getting in late.”

“So, no grief?”

“No grief. Lots of questions, but no grief. Although, I think America may try to put the fear of God into you.”

“Tall Latina – stars and stripes jacket?”

“That’s her.”

“She got to me last night after you went in. Tell her mission accomplished. I am suitably terrified of her.”

“Sorry about that – they get a little overprotective. It’s like I’m everybody’s little sister and they’re all trying to make sure I die a virgin.” 

Chase sputtered out a surprised laugh, and Cassie giggled along with him. “I’d say you were kidding, but that’s what we’re all going to be doing with Molly in a couple of years.”

“Which is why it totally sucks to be the youngest person in the team.”

“Being oldest isn’t great either. I got to be the first one to get a job and be responsible, which is so very not me.”

Cassie turned to her side to look at Chase, propping her head on her bent arm, “I don’t know – it looks like you’re someone people count on. I mean, yesterday, you fixed the ice machine for that woman at the mall without her even asking.”

Chase turned to face Cassie, “You mean Lottie? That wasn’t anything – we used to work together – she’s a friend.”

“Seems like you got lots of friends.”

“What can I say? I’m a cool guy. But definitely not responsible.” Chase narrowed his eyes and lowered his sunglasses, “Did you put on any sunscreen?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“You’re looking a little red.”

“Guess I’ll be putting on some more, then.” Cassie sat up and pulled the bottle from her bag. “How about you?”

“I’m good – I’ve got like SPF 10 million on – I will always be the same sickly pale white that you see before you now.”

“Life goals.”

“One of many.”

“Get my back?” Cassie asked, looking over her shoulder as she turned her back toward Chase.

“Will do,” Chase agreed, wiping the sand from his hands before taking the bottle of lotion from her. “So, you decide on a college yet?” he asked as he started to rub the sunscreen onto her back.

Cassie shrugged, “I’m leaning toward UCLA. My dad wants me to stay near him, but I think I need to get away from him for a while. It’s not that I don’t love him – I mean, I missed him so much when he was dead – and, yes, another Avenger back from the dead if you’re keeping score – but he can be kind of stifling.” Chase finished up and handed the bottle back to her. “How about you? You ever think about college?”

Chase sat up, his hands on his knees and shook his head. “Nope. I don’t even have a GED. Take whatever book smart is and go in the completely opposite direction, and that’s me.”

“But – you were working on fixing Victor - “

“Fixing things is easy. They just make sense, you know? As long as I can get my hands on something, I can figure out how it works. Ask me to explain it? Or to read about something and figure it out from that? I’m hopeless.”

Cassie thought over what Chase had said and frowned. Talent was one thing, but what Chase could do with machines went beyond that. “Chase – is it possible that you’re a mutant?”

Chase’s eyes widened in surprise, “No. I mean, the X-Men were sniffing around Molly so many times that they’d have picked up on if any of the rest of us were mutants too.”

Cassie shrugged, “Sometimes mutants with really subtle abilities – where it just looks like they’re really talented – sometimes they go unnoticed.”

Chase chuckled and shook his head, “You’re using the word subtle in a sentence about me? Nah – there’s nothing special about me. I’m just a high school dropout mechanic with a family to feed.”

Cassie smiled softly, “No – you’re wrong. There is something very special about you.”

Chase turned toward Cassie to see if she was joking, but she looked pretty serious to him. He smiled back at her, and reached over to push the hair away from her face. He leaned in toward her - 

 

The air exploded violently as the teleportation spell hit five feet away from Chase and Cassie, and Lace jumped to her feet with a roar before the swirl of sand in the air settled and she recognized her family. She huffed in annoyance and collapsed back onto the sand with her feet in the air.

Cassie and Chase looked up at Nico and the others with matching grimaces. “What part of spending the day with a friend didn’t you get?” Chase demanded.

“The part where you said to call you and then left your phone behind!” Nico spit out angrily.

Chase reached over to his backpack and held up his phone. “You mean this?”

Karolina held up her phone, “But – I called you, and your phone was at the hostel.”

“I told you I was getting a new number last week, remember? Because those reddit assholes doxxed me again? I sent you a text saying this is Chase’s new number?”

Karolina looked at her phone curiously, scrolled through her texts, and then softly said, “Oh,” as she found the message.

“Are you going to introduce us?” Gert asked quietly, looking at Cassie suspiciously.

Chase looked up at her and calmed down a little. They’d obviously been worried about him and after Murderworld they’d all agreed that over-reacting was better than assuming the best and doing nothing. He gestured toward Cassie, “Nico, Karo, Victor – you remember Cassie, right? Gert – this is Cassie Lang – used to be Stature in the Young Avengers, but it’s Stinger now. Cassie, “ he gestured up toward Gert, “this is Gert Yorkes.”

Cassie stood up and held out a hand toward Gert, “Hi – I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Gert pasted on a saccharine smile, took Cassie’s hand and replied snarkily, “Hi Cassie, I’ve never heard anything about you.”

Cassie forced her smile to stay in place. She’d been on a team with Billy Kaplan – grand kung fu master of snark - and instinctively knew how to respond to snark in all its many and varied forms. All she had to do was think – what would Billy say? 

But right now picking a fight with Gert would only hurt Chase, and that was the last thing she wanted. The last thing in the world. Didn’t mean she couldn’t *politely* respond though. “No reason you should. I just got in to town, and I’ll be going to UCLA in the fall. But I’m sure we’ll get to know each other really well – I think we’ll have a lot in common.” She saw Chase looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, and saw Gert’s smile falter a little. Cassie resisted the urge to smirk.

There was a loud thump, and a star shaped portal opened out of thin air five feet on the other size of where the Runaways had teleported in. The West Coast Avengers quickly traversed across it, ready for battle as soon as they hit the sand. Lace looked over to where the noise came from, growled softly, and then turned over onto her stomach, burying her head in the sand. Cassie cursed under her breath, stomped past the Runaways to stand in front of the Avengers, her hands defiantly placed on her hips. “What in the hell are you doing here?” she demanded of Kate.

Kate looked over at the Runaways, blinked in confusion, and then pointed over her shoulder to Quentin.

“Really?” Quentin asked Kate tiredly, “It was your idea.” He sighed and turned back to Cassie, “They had me low-key monitoring you. Something startled you so we came running.” He paused and looked past the Runaways. “Is that a dinosaur?”

“Yes, it is,” Cassie answered. She looked at Kate angrily, “Look – I’m not 15 any more. I am old enough to make decisions - “ She paused as Clint raised a hand desperately and waited for him to explain.

“Look – I know where this is going, and I’ve known you since you were four, so I just need a second to turn off my hearing aids because I really don’t want to hear it. I especially don’t want to have to lie to your Dad when he asks about it, ok?” Cassie raised an eyebrow and waited until Clint finished turning off the ear pieces and gave her a thumbs up.

“As I was saying. I am an adult. I make my own decisions about who I want to spend time with. At some point that will involve sex, and absolutely none of you have any say in the details about that. Are we clear?”

America crossed her arms and sullenly asked, “Can I still stomp them if they break your heart?”

“Only if they’re a supervillain,” Cassie conceded.

America looked around Cassie to Chase, “You gonna turn out to be a supervillain?”

Chase shook his head, “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Ooooohh….That’s exactly what a proto-supervillain would say!” Gwen observed loudly.

Cassie crossed her arms and glared at Gwen, “Chase is not going to be a supervillain.”

Kate smirked and teased, “Says the girl who made out with future Kang the Conqueror.”

Cassie pointed at Kate, “He was Iron Lad at the time, and when I had to make a choice I went with Jonas!” Cassie continued to glare at them until they all looked down. “OK, then.” She spun around to face the Runaways, and looked down at Chase. “You got anything you want to say to your team?”

Chase thought for a moment, then sighed and nodded, “Yeah, I guess so.” He stood up, brushed the sand from his clothes, and crossed his arms as he faced his friends, “Look – I appreciate that you’re worried about me, and I know I haven’t handled Gert moving on with Victor very well. I think I’m ready to move on too, though. I don’t know where things are going with Cassie – I never dated before I was with Gert, and after she died I didn’t want to, but I like spending time with Cassie and I want to see where it goes. In the end, it comes down to is the same thing Cassie said to her team: it’s my life and I’m going to make my own decisions about who I want to spend time with. I hope that you’ll end up liking her as much as I think I do. So – are we good?”

Nico looked at the others, and after getting a begrudging nod from Gert, she smiled at Chase, “Yeah. We’re good. We’ll get out of here and let you get on with your date.”

“Hey – Nico! You guys need a lift?” America called over.

“America! Thank you so much! I’m not sure I could think of a new way to ask for a teleport,” she tugged on Karolina’s arm, “And – hey – come meet my girlfriend!”

“Hah! I knew it!” America beamed before stomping on the ground to open another portal. As the others filed through she turned to Cassie, “You got my number if you need anything, right?”

“I’ll be fine,” Cassie said with a shake of her head.

“I know...I’m just saying...this may not be New York, but you never know when some nutcase is going to put on a costume and try to take a movie studio hostage or something.” She then turned to Chase and motioned from her eyes over to him, indicating that she was watching him.

Chase nodded with a tight smile and gave her a thumbs up while Cassie rolled her eyes as the portal closed. “So – I guess we’re dating then?” Chase asked.

Cassie nodded, “Looks that way. I mean, if you want to, that is. I get it if you were just saying that to get them off your back.”

Chase chuckled and shook his head, “No – I meant it. I like spending time with you, and I’d like to get to know you better. Were you serious about the going to UCLA thing, or were you just trying to make a point to Gert?”

She nodded, “I’m serious. I mean, I was leaning toward it anyway, and I suddenly realized that even if I wanted away from my Dad for a while, I still wanted family around – and Kate’s like a big sister.”

“I get that. That’s how my friends are to me, even if they can be kind of intrusive at times.”

“But – family.”

“Yep. Family.” Chase looked around the beach and tilted his head, “You beached-out yet?”

“Someplace else you’d rather go?”

“Well – there’s a farmer’s market should be open for another couple of hours, and I should get the shopping done for the week. Molly’s not too bad about eating her vegetables, but they’ve got to be in the house for her to eat them.”

“So, does Lace go to the market, or do I get to see this hostel that I’ve heard so much about?”

“Don’t get your expectations up there – it’s underwhelming, but has the charm of being abandoned and therefore rent-free.”

“Hey – my Dad is an ex-con. I’m familiar with underwhelming charm.”

“Explains why you looked twice at me, then.”

Cassie chuckled, “Don’t underrate yourself, pal. You rock the man-bun.”

Chase nodded sagely, “That I do. My hair is my crowning glory.” Chase leaned down and nudged Lace, “C’mon girl – lets get you home.” The dinosaur snorted and sullenly turned away, burying her head deeper in the sand. Chase sighed, “This may take a few minutes.”

 

 

Chase had left Cassie in the kitchen talking with Karolina while he went back to his room to get changed, and was just pulling on a shirt and leaving when Gert stopped him. “Can we talk?”

Chase pasted on a smile that was becoming a little easier, “Sure.”

Gert closed the door behind her and seemed nervous. “So – I wanted to apologize for not realizing that you weren’t ok with me and Victor.”

Chase shrugged, “It’s ok. I’m glad that you’re here, and that you’re happy with Victor. It just took me a little while to get used to the new way things are.”

Gert nodded, “Yeah. Me too, I guess. I...I hope you and Cassie work out. She seems nice.”

Chase smiled, “She is nice.”

“So – where’s your next big date?”

Chase shrugged, “Farmer’s market – then maybe that coffee house by the beach.”

“The one that makes the quadruple espresso latte?”

“That’s the one.”

“So – what exactly are her powers again? Because I’m sure there are some powers that just don’t work with massive over-caffeination.”

Chase laughed, “Used to just be that she could change her size – twenty foot tall to two inches, but she says she got some wings and blasters, so, you may be right – decaf might be a good option when blasters are involved.”

Gert nodded, turned to leave and then stopped. She paused for a second, and turned around, “Can I get a hug from you? I mean, I want to make sure we’re still friends, but it kind of feels like there’s still this...ex- us … thing between us.”

Chase reached down and hugged her, pulling her up off the ground a few inches before putting her back down and backing away a step. “I’m always going to be your friend. You will always be the first girl I ever loved, and I won’t stop loving you, even if we’re not together. Got it?”

Gert smiled back, “Got it. And, I haven’t said it before, but thank you for coming back to save me. I’m glad I’m here.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re here too.”

Gert opened the door and pushed Chase toward it, “Don’t keep her waiting, Stein. Girl’s got blasters.”

Chase paused before heading out the door and turned back to her, “Gert – you ever need anything – all you gotta do is ask. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Also – if Mancha screws up? Just remember – I put him together, and I got a socket wrench with his name all over it.”

“He won’t screw up. But, if he does, I can fight my own battles.”

“Yeah, I know. Just saying if you need some technical assistance, I’ll be there for you.”

“Thanks. Now – go take blaster-girl to the farmer’s market – sweep her off her feet.”

Chase took her hand, gave it a quick squeeze, and then headed back to find Cassie.

 

 

3 months later

Chase and Cassie stood next to each other leaning against the wall, both trying to keep a straight face as they watched Clint and Cassie’s Dad try to put together Cassie’s new desk. “The back left leg is upside down,” Chase muttered. 

Cassie looked at it, tilted her head to get a better look and nodded, “Yeah it is.”

Clint and Scott stopped what they were doing and glared at Chase and Cassie, who simply smiled back at them. “I thought you two were working on the dining room?” Scott asked.

“It’s done,” Cassie said with a shrug.

“What about the chairs?” Clint asked.

“Including the chairs,” Cassie smirked.

Clint and Scott looked at each other, stood up, shook their heads, and walked over to Chase, handing him the instructions and allen wrenches. Chase did his best to hide his smile as the two men left and headed for the kitchen and what was left of the case of beer they’d started the day with.

Chase shook his head as he started to remove the upside down leg, “I thought they’d never give up.”

“They’re very stubborn.”

Chase looked at the desk and shook his head, “How do you install a drawer upside down?”

Cassie chuckled, and bent down to kiss his forehead, “How long do you need?”

Chase looked at the pieces scattered around him, took a second look at what was already together and shrugged, “Maybe 20 minutes?”

“I’ll get supper ready and save you a couple of beers before those two finish off the case.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Cassie stood in the doorway, and glanced over to make sure her father and Clint were out of earshot, “So...you need to get back to the hostel tonight?”

Chase looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, “Whatever might you be suggesting, Miss Lang?”

“Certainly nothing untoward, sir. I wouldn’t want to sully your sterling reputation.”

Chase got up and pulled Cassie into a kiss, “I think you’re very badly misinformed about my reputation, ma’am.”

They heard the sound of a throat clearing and turned to see both Clint and Scott watching them. Scott sighed heavily, “More beer.”

“Much more beer,” Clint agreed as the two of them walked back to the kitchen.

Chase groaned, “Your dad hates me.”

“He’d hate anyone he knew I was having sex with.”

“Yeah, him deciding to surprise you with breakfast when I slept over last week was...awkward.”

“But, now he knows that he needs to knock first.”

“I think he now knows a lot more than he ever wanted to know.”

“I can live with that.”

“As long as he doesn’t sic those ants on me again - “

“Yeah – I talked with him about that. And with the ants. They both know you’re off limits.”

“Cool,” Chase agreed, sitting back down on the floor to get back to work on the desk.

Cassie bent over to kiss him again, “One more before I head back to grumpy old man land.”

Chase heard Scott in the hallway muttering, “Oh..for the love of...”

Cassie rolled her eyes and headed out into the hallway, dragging her father back to the kitchen, “Stop lurking. You’ll be a lot happier.”

Chase pulled out his phone and sent a text to Nico - “Tuck Molly in for me – I’ll be back in the morning.” A few seconds later he got a text back with a winking emoticon. 

He stuffed the phone back in his pocket, looked over to the doorway Cassie had just walked through and smiled. For a long time he thought he’d never be happy again. That he’d never love anyone the way he’d loved Gert. But, he’d survived losing her and found Cassie. It was different with Cassie, but it was so good. Better than he ever expected. She still did the superhero thing, and he was always going to worry about that, but life was always going to be a risk, and she was worth it.


End file.
